Platform with hose reel

ABSTRACT

A platform ( 10 ) with a central region ( 70 ) for production and/or processing and/or storage of hydrocarbons, has a hose reel ( 30 ) arranged adjacent to a service area ( 50 ). The hose reel is arranged outside the central region and oriented with its axis of rotation (a-a) being directed towards the central region, and the service area is not between the reel and the central region.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national stage application of PCT/EP2011/064613,filed on Aug. 25, 2011, entitled “PLATFORM WITH HOSE REEL” which claimspriority to Norwegian Patent Application No. 2010217, filed on Sep. 1,2010. Each of these priority applications are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE

This present disclosure relates generally to an offshore loading systemfor transferring hydrocarbon products via an offloading hose from astorage facility of a transport vessel such as a shuttle tanker. Morespecifically, the present disclosure relates to a platform having acentral region for production and/or processing and/or storage ofhydrocarbons and a hose reel arranged adjacent to a service area.

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE

The production of hydrocarbons (e.g. crude oil and gas) from subseareservoirs is facilitated by multiple large offshore productionfacilities located near one or more subsea wells.

Traditionally, the hydrocarbons have been transported from the offshoreproduction facility to onshore storage facilities and furtherprocessing, via pipelines laid on the seabed. However, as hydrocarbonsare being produced from reservoirs located in deeper and deeper watersand in regions where the seabed includes rough or uneven terrain such assteep cliffs and deep canyons, the use of seabed pipelines has becomeincreasingly complex and prohibitively expensive.

Thus, a more economical and flexible system for transporting thehydrocarbons to onshore locations involve the use of offshore storagefacilities at or near the production location, in combination withshuttle tankers. The offshore storage facility may comprise subseastorage cells integrated with a so-called Gravity Base Structure (GBS)platform or connected to a loading buoy of a fixed platform, or theoffshore storage facility may be integrated in a so-called FloatingProduction, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel which is maintained inposition in a manner which is known in the art (e.g. moorings and/orthrusters controlled by dynamic positioning).

The hydrocarbons are transferred from the offshore storage facility(e.g. platform) to the carrier (e.g. a shuttle tanker) via a flexibletransfer conduit, commonly referred to as a marine hose. The hose may bestored on a reel on the platform and connected to an on-board pipingsystem, e.g. via a so-called “pipeline-end manifold” (PLEM). Beforecommencing discharge of hydrocarbons, the free end of the flexible hoseis pulled across and connected to the shuttle tanker, in a manner knownin the art.

FIG. 1 illustrates the principle of a related art hose reel stationaboard a platform 1. A hose reel 3 is arranged near an edge of theplatform. A hose 2, which may be connected to a shuttle tanker (notshown), extends through a guide structure 4 in a deck structure 6 whichis partly cantilevered out from the platform hull 8. On the side of thereel 3 that faces the platform (and not out towards the sea) is aservice area 5 in which the hose end portion 2′ may be handled; e.g.pulled into and dismantled for maintenance. Immediately behind theservice area is the platform process area 7.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is set forth and characterized in the mainclaims, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of thepresent disclosure.

It is thus provided a platform, having a central region for productionand/or processing and/or storage of hydrocarbons and a hose reelarranged adjacent to a service area, characterized in that the hose reelis arranged outside the central region and oriented with its axis ofrotation (a-a) being directed towards the central region, and theservice area is not between the reel and the central region.

In one embodiment, the reel is arranged in a region near an edge of theplatform.

In one embodiment, the service area is outside the central region.

In one embodiment, the hose platform comprises a hose guide structure inthe platform, comprising curved side walls and configured for providinglateral support for the hose.

In one embodiment, the platform comprises a spooling gear, having aguide funnel for the hose and motion control means for controlledmovement along the guide structure.

In one embodiment, the motion control means comprise releasable lockingmeans, whereby the hose guide structure may be locked in a fixedposition along the guide structure.

In one embodiment, the guide structure outline generally corresponds tothe axial extension of the reel, and the guide structure is arrangedsubstantially parallel with the reel axis of rotation, whereby the outerportion of the guide structure provides lateral support for the hose.The guide structure outline may be rectangular, with the outer portiondefining an end of the rectangle.

In one embodiment, the platform is an offshore storage facility forhydrocarbons and comprises a GBS or a floating structure.

The present disclosure makes valuable deck space available for e.g.process equipment, in that the service area is now no longer extendinginto the process area. This gives considerable cost savings duringplatform construction.

Also, arranging the hose reel with its axis of rotation (and also theguide structure) pointing towards the central regions of the platform,as in the present disclosure, makes it easier to transfer the forcesimposed by the hose into the rigid deck structure—via the spooling gearand/or guide structure—than with the related art arrangement where wideoperating angles may require extra movable devices for arresting theloads imposed by the hose.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other characteristics of the present disclosure will be clearfrom the following description of the one or more embodiments, given asnon-restrictive examples, with reference to the attached schematicdrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a part of a platform having a hose reelarrangement according to the related art;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a part of a platform, showing an embodiment ofthe hose reel arrangement according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a part of a platform, showing the embodiment ofthe hose reel arrangement according to the present disclosure, includingthe guide structure; and

FIG. 5 is a view of a part of the platform, as seen along the hose reelaxis, showing the embodiment of the hose reel arrangement according tothe present disclosure, including the guide structure.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a spooling unit;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a spooling unit assembled on guiderails;

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the hose reelarrangement according to the present disclosure, including the guidestructure and the spooling unit, and

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the hose reelarrangement according to the present disclosure, illustrating analternative arrangement of the service area in relation to the hosereel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE

Referring initially to FIG. 2, a hose reel 30 is placed towards the edgeof a platform 10. The platform 10, which may be a GBS or a floatingstructure known in the art, comprises a hull 80, a process area 70 and adeck 60, part of which is cantilevered out over the water W. The reel'saxis of rotation is indicated by the dotted line a-a, and is pointingtowards the process area 70 in one direction and out from the platformin the other direction. FIG. 1 illustrates a situation where the hose isconnected to e.g. a shuttle tanker (not shown). The hose 2 passesthrough a guide structure 40 in the deck 60. The hose is only shownpartly, as the connection to the shuttle tanker is well known in theart.

In FIG. 3, which is showing the configuration of FIG. 2 as seen fromabove, it may be seen that the service area 50 is not located betweenthe reel 30 and the process area 70, as is the case in the related art(cf. FIG. 1). This frees up more, valuable, deck space for processequipment and/or the platform deck may be made smaller than platformdecks of the related art. In the process area 50, the hose end 2′ mayhandled by personnel and connected to the required platform equipment(not shown).

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate how the guide structure 40 comprises curvedside walls and provides lateral support for the hose.

In one embodiment, the guiding of the hose is advantageously provided bya spooling gear 90 (see FIG. 6), which comprises a guide funnel 93 forthe hose and support-and-locking means (e.g. rollers) 91. FIG. 7illustrates the spooling gear arranged on a pair of tracks (e.g. rails)92, and FIG. 8 shows the spooling gear and tracks arranged in relationto the deck opening (guide structure 40). As described above, theservice area 50 and hose reel 30 are arranged outside of the processarea 70. FIG. 9 illustrates schematically a variant where the guidestructure 40 and spooling gear 90 are arranged on the same side of thehose reel as the service area 50.

When the hose is being reeled out from, or onto, the hose reel, thespooling gear 90 is moved in a controlled manner (by motors, not shown)along the tracks 92, so as to guide the hose. When the hose reel is notrotating (e.g. in an offloading situation), the spooling gear is lockedin position relative to the tracks (in a manner which per se is known inthe art), such the roller motors, etc. do not take any loads during theoffloading operation. Alternatively, the spooling gear may bear againstone of the end portions of the guide structure 40 (e.g. as shown in FIG.8).

FIG. 8 also shows how the guide structure 40 outline generallycorresponds to the axial extension of the reel (rectangular), and thatthe guide structure is arranged substantially parallel with the reelaxis of rotation, whereby an outer portion 99 of the guide structureprovides lateral support for the hose.

Although the description of the one or more embodiments refers to ahose, the skilled person understands that the present disclosure isequally applicable to pipelines in general, including steel tubularpipelines as well as bonded and non-bonded flexible flowlines fabricatedof composite materials.

1. A platform, comprising: a central region for production and/orprocessing and/or storage of hydrocarbons and a hose reel arrangedadjacent to a service area, wherein the hose reel is arranged outsidethe central region and oriented with its axis of rotation directedtowards the central region, and the service area is not between the reeland the central region.
 2. The platform of claim 1, wherein the reel isarranged in a region near an edge of the platform.
 3. The platform ofclaim 1, wherein the service area is outside the central region.
 4. Theplatform of claim 1, further comprising a hose guide structure in theplatform, comprising curved side walls and configured for providinglateral support for the hose.
 5. The platform of claim 4, furthercomprising a spooling gear, having a guide funnel for the hose andmotion control means for controlled movement along the guide structure.6. The platform of claim 5, wherein the motion control means comprisereleasable locking means, whereby the hose guide structure may be lockedin a fixed position along the guide structure.
 7. The platform of claim4, wherein the guide structure outline generally corresponds to theaxial extension of the reel, and the guide structure is arrangedsubstantially parallel with the reel axis of rotation, whereby the outerportion of the guide structure provides lateral support for the hose. 8.The platform of claim 7, wherein the guide structure outline isrectangular, with the outer portion defining an end of the rectangle. 9.The platform of claim 1, wherein the platform is an offshore storagefacility for hydrocarbons and comprises a GBS or a floating structure.